Kauffman’s Currents features stories and insights that underscore the essential role of education and entrepreneurship in empowering all people to shape their futures, create vibrant communities, and grow an inclusive economy.

The overall goal is that students of all ages in Kansas City are prepared for learning, work, and life after graduation, enabling them to be economically independent, contributing members of their communities.

The Kauffman Foundation Conference Center is a nationally recognized convening site located adjacent to the Foundation offices in Kansas City. This facility welcomes more than 75,000 thought leaders per year.

I recently quoted Teddy Roosevelt in an overview of our Foundation’s response to COVID-19: “Do what you can, with what you have, from where you are.”

We will stand by our grantees and commitments

Our
grantmaking continues, and we are making grantee payments with minimal
disruption.

We’re
standing by our grantees and are ready to be flexible with grant agreements. Our
associates are working through our portfolio of more than $75 million in current
grants for 2020 to support our grantees. We know that their focus must be on
their organizations and the people they serve.

We’re
honoring all existing sponsorships, recognizing that events may get
postponed.

I also noted last week that we are working
with our colleagues in other philanthropies to evaluate the government response
to the crisis and see where our organizations can add value in supporting our
communities across the nation.

Based on those discussions and given the scale and need of the response and recovery, we are focusing our philanthropic response in the Kansas City region and committing up to $2.8 million to support our community.

General community support

The Kauffman Foundation will provide $500,000 through its Public Affairs program to support the Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. The Fund’s initial focus will support program areas by addressing the urgent health and human service needs of families, students, and business owners.

Entrepreneurship

During this pandemic and resulting economic recession, the Kansas City region’s small business community is extremely vulnerable, with many businesses at risk of closure. To assist some of our area’s most distressed businesses, the Foundation will grant $500,000 to AltCap’s KC COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Fund.

This grant will leverage funding from others
in the community to allow AltCap, a Kansas City-based CDFI with a strong 15-year
track record of loans to underserved populations, to offer 0% interest rate
microloans with no collateral requirements and a deferred six-month payment
structure to small businesses in the Kansas City metro area that have
experienced economic injury during the pandemic response. These loans will
provide businesses with the immediate liquidity necessary to weather the
current pandemic and avoid laying off or furloughing staff.

And, we continue our support of KCSourceLink, which has provided additional resources for small business owners.

Education

We are working with SchoolSmartKC to designate up to $2 million of existing funds ($700,000 contributed by the Kauffman Foundation, with the remaining from the Hall Family Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation) to support district and charter schools, and nonprofit education support organizations within the Kansas City Public School district boundaries. SchoolSmartKC anticipates funds will focus on vulnerable students and families, teaching and instruction, systems planning, and needs that emerge during the coming months related to COVID-19 conditions.

To complement SchoolSmartKC’s work, the Kauffman Foundation will provide up to $500,000 in targeted grants to support the districts, schools, and support organizations outside of the Kansas City Public School boundaries, including districts in Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. Foundation staff is working with organizations in these districts to determine how to best deploy funds.

KC Civic

The Foundation’s KC Civic team invests in programs and
initiatives that create supportive learning environments for youth and families
as well as key institutions and organizations that drive cultural, social, and
economic impact in Kansas City.

We know many organizations are struggling with
new operational and program issues. The Kauffman Foundation is committing up to
$600,000 to work with current KC Civic grantees that need additional support related
to COVID-19.

Kauffman associates

The Kauffman Foundation has implemented a
special associate matching gift fund in support of non-profit organizations
impacted by COVID-19. Specifically, the Foundation will provide a 6-to-1 match
for donations up to $500 per associate to support 501(c)(3) public charities
assisting with COVID-19 relief efforts, which may include community-based
organizations that are on the front lines, such as local schools, homeless
shelters, hospital foundations, or community food banks.

Our long-term strategies

Despite our work in the immediate term, I want to
emphasize that the Kauffman Foundation remains committed to our long-term
grantmaking approach and strategies.

The funding we provide in our
region’s most disinvested areas will continue as we seek to help individuals
build wealth and close gaps identified by race and economic status. These
programs range from vital early education and after school programs, to college
success programs, to local entrepreneur support organizations.

Furthermore, we will continue our
national work by strengthening policies, practices, and tools that support new
businesses and our communities.

We will also continue our work to develop actionable research and promote policies highlighted in America’s New Business Plan to strengthen entrepreneurship. And, of course, we’ll continue to share lessons learned and engage others to create inclusive prosperity, workforce readiness, and entrepreneur-focused economic development through stories and insights.

We believe our long-term strategy is a pathway to a stronger
and more inclusive community-based economy. Even in these turbulent times, we
must and will continue that work.